Daily Alert Archives

Israel Will Have to Finish the War in Gaza

(The Editors) David Wurmser - For the incoming Trump administration when it comes to Middle East policy, one clear principle is to treat friends better than our enemies, because strong friends who project power both secure American interests and reduce their reliance on constant investment of American power. The most marked feature of this is strong support for Israel. The trauma and vulnerability Israel suffered on October 7, 2023, drove the country into a defensive crouch and what it believed was its second war of independence - a desperate battle just to survive with little or no latitude for compromise, goodwill, or tolerated vulnerability. Israel was in its own battle of civilizational survival against absolute evil. It is a vital American interest to allow Israel to restart the war in Gaza and complete the destruction of Hamas, and also to allow Israel to enforce unilaterally UN Security Council Resolutions 1701 and 1559, which are embedded in the Lebanon ceasefire. If Hamas emerges with a story of victory in any form, not only will Israel face another Oct. 7 soon, and not only will antisemitism explode exponentially globally, but cities all over the West will suffer from a newly energized and encouraged global jihadi effort. After the last hostage Israel can hope to still retrieve has been liberated, Israel will have to finish the war in a way that results in an unambiguous, incontrovertible, complete victory. This is a view widely held by perceptive and serious senior figures in Israel and in America. The CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Mark Dubowitz, said, "If you think Israel will let Hamas's murderers, rapists, and torturers escape justice, you don't understand post-Oct. 7 Israel. Justice will come, and it will be decisive." Only a devastating defeat of regional radical threats will deflate global jihadi confidence and momentum. It will restore an era of peace through strength and make America safe again. The writer is a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington and at the Misgav Institute for Zionist Strategy and the Jerusalem Center for Foreign and Security Affairs in Israel.
2025-01-23 00:00:00
Full Article